Introduction to Qntrl
Qntrl is workflow automation software that helps organizations take the lead in automating their everyday workflows. The mainstay of organized businesses are their time-tested workflows, seasoned with practice and expertise. To adapt these workflows, along with their nuances and manual methods into an automated space, might seem challenging. However, with Qntrl as your workflow automation software, automating will be the best decision you ever make.
Qntrl’s straightforward workflow builder helps split your workflows into defined steps, assign them to individuals or teams, transition them to the next users once complete, and complete the entire process smoothly. The end-to-end workflow automation is called Board in Qntrl.
This guide will take you through the easiest method to onboard Qntrl and configure your very first Board.
Configure your first Board
Once you sign up or log in to Qntrl, you will be prompted to enter a name to identify your organization.
Once the Qntrl organization is created, choose the departments for which you are planning to use Qntrl and click the View your templates button.
Upon choosing a department, a list of ready-to-install workflow templates will be displayed. All templates are customizable to help you adapt them for your specific business requirements. Choose a template to install in your organization.
Tip: You won't miss out on any template listed here. They will be available for installation later too.
Once the installation or creation is successful, you will land on the empty Kanban board. Go ahead and create a card to explore how the board works.
How to create a Card
To create a new card, click the New Card button at the top band. Fill the details in the form and click Save.
Tip: Before creating a card, make sure you pick the right board on the left panel.
You can also create cards in other boards you are invited to. All Boards you have access to will be listed on the left panel.
View Card details
Once a card is created, a tile gets added to the Kanban board. Click on it to view the details. It contains the Card ID and Card Name at the top, followed by the creation details and board name.
Below this, the current stage of the card and the blueprint name is displayed. Click Preview to take a look at the blueprint that the card follows. We will cover how you can customize this blueprint later in this document.
The Next Actions section lists the actions to be performed to progress the card. You can view these options only if you have permission to perform them. Click on the appropriate button to perform an action and confirm it. Once the action is completed, the card progresses to the next stage of the blueprint.
Info: Once an action is done, it cannot be undone. Advise caution before performing the next actions in cards.
The General Info section holds the description, card fields and their details, and comments added in the card.
The Activities section provides a timeline of all the activities performed in the card.
Card views
Cards in Qntrl are displayed using three different views: List, Kanban, and Dashboard. Kanban is the default view. However, you can change the view anytime.
To navigate to different views, click on the view icons available at the top-right corner of the card list page.
Each view supports different customization options. To learn more about it, visit our
detailed help guide.
How to create a request
If you are not a part of a board, but would like to use it, you can create a request. Navigate to My Requests in the left panel and click the New Request button. Select the service in which you would like to create a request, fill in the details, and click Save.
Tip: If there are no services listed to create a request, contact the admin of the board to provide you access.
Quick options
If you are an admin in any board (a board you have created), you can edit the boards and set up automations to them. Let's look at how to do so.
Edit Board
This option lets you edit the board details like board name, record name, description, and card ID prefix.
Add Field
Include a new field in the board to collect information. The new field added here will be added to the board's form and existing cards.
Manage Board
Edits to the board steps can be performed using this option. Upon clicking this option, you will land in the following three-step wizard:
- Step 1: Create Form
Card details are captured in forms. You can add new fields to collect more information from the users, as well as customize individual field properties to add validations or encryption. From adding sections and line items to configuring advanced fields, Qntrl offers a wide range of customization options in each form. Here's the
complete guide on creating forms in Qntrl.
- Step 2: Design Blueprint
Your organization's workflow can be set up here, step by step. Blueprint comprises stages and transitions. Stages are the steps in each workflow and Transition is the action required to move from one step to the next.
Tip: Before building a blueprint, we recommend a through brainstorming session within your teams to list the steps and approvals involved in completing a workflow.
Stages can be set up with SLAs and transitions can be configured with several checks before, during, and after the transition takes place.
- Step 3: Review Board
We have now covered the basics of creating a board. Let's move on to the automation options available in boards.
Manage Users
Invite users to perform tasks in the board. You can invite new users or add existing users from the organization here. Each user added can be designated a profile, such as Admin, Manager, Member, or Participant, to manage user permissions.
Manage Blueprint
This is a quick option to view and edit blueprints. On clicking this, you will land on
Step 2: Design Bluerprint. Perform the required edits and save the blueprint. Validate the blueprint to publish.
Manage Requesters
Requesters are internal or external users who can create requests (cards) in boards. You can allow all or specific organization users to create cards here. While configuring permissions for external users to create requests, you can provide permission through public forms or email in.
Manage Permissions
Each board profile is configured with a set of default permissions in Qntrl. These permissions can be customized using this option.
Automate Board
Qntrl provides a bunch of automation options to kick-start your board's process. Hover over a board, click the more options
icon, and select an available automation options listed below.
- Business Rules: This feature helps you trigger an event or a chain of automated events when a defined action occurs in a card. For example, when a card's priority is updated to 'Critical' the assignee of the card can be intimated. Learn more about business rules.
- Public Forms: Forms we design in boards can be used as public forms to collect input from the web. Anyone can access public forms and submit their data. These can be used to collect data from external customers or vendors directly. Learn how to enable public forms in boards.
- Conditional Fields: Conditional fields can be used to show or hide fields, sections, line items; lock or unlock fields and sections; set fields as mandatory or non-mandatory; and set values to fields in the card. Learn more about conditional fields.
- Email Templates: Qntrl allows you to create customized email templates and trigger them automatically from modules like blueprints and business rules. You can add dynamic placeholders and attachments, and trigger emails to multiple users at the same time with Qntrl's email templates. Learn more about email templates in Qntrl.
- Email In: This allows uses to create cards in a Board by sending emails. Each board will be assigned a unique Email In ID to which emails can be sent to create new cards. Learn how to set up Email In and the advanced configurations it supports from our help documents.
- Scripts: Qntrl supports Client Scripts to add validations to business data when they are recorded in Qntrl and Server Scripts to code company-specific business logic to manage database and perform time-consuming processes quickly in Qntrl.
Reports
Qntrl’s reports help you monitor the progress of tasks, oversee employee workload, and identify delays in the process. Reports help you improve the overall process and gain real-time insights on the progress of your organization.
Qntrl provides a set of default reports, such as:
- Stage duration chart
- Blueprint usage report
- Card distribution chart
- Stage utilization chart
- Blueprint duration analysis
In addition to these default reports, users can create their own
custom reports based on their business needs.
Besides these features, there are other automation options available for Admin user profiles under Settings. You can get to know about the complete list of features and their use cases from our help guides.